Game 7.
Lakers - Celtics.
Better than the Super Bowl, New Year's Eve & the 4th of July.
I'd love to see Ron Artest have an outstanding game tonight. This game may mean more to him than anyone else on the court. KG, Kobe, Ray, Rajon, Paul, Pau, Baby and even Sasha all have rings. Nate doesn't have one yet, but he hasn't traveled Artest's long twisted road.
From the Bulls to the Pacers to the Kings to the Rockets and now the Lakers, Ron Artest has seen several personal highs & the lowest of the lows. Defensive Player of the Year, most controversial fight/suspension in NBA history, king of all role players, health food eating kid from the projects, animal lover, Michael Jackson honoring, rapper who rhymes about the plight of Afghanistani women- Artest is an inspiring & complex player.
The days of crazy Ron Ron are still here, but violent crazy Ron Ron is gone. He pays for fans to sit courtside in finals games. He speaks out on behalf of animals. He barely gets technical fouls, let alone fines, beyond showing up late for practice the morning after being a playoff hero.
Yet he still plays with intensity that gets superstars like Carmelo & Rondo riled up and off their game.
Last year he gave Kobe the best head to head combat he's faced while never slipping into the limiting role of Kobe Stopper. Guys like Artest & Bowen who bother everybody are just having another day at the office when battling the likes of Kobe.
Even so, who would've thought we'd go from last year's face to face playoffs clash to this?
Tonight, Artest can be Scottie to Kobe's MJ...
...while channeling his inner Dennis Rodman.
I'm picking the Lakers to win tonight.
I originally picked the Celtics to win in 5 because I thought they had a deeper team & I couldn't see them winning a game 6 or 7 vs. these Lakers in LA. I still can't see it, especially with Perkins out.
Here's to Ron Artest being a big part of anything that goes right for the Lakers.
And here's to the Celtics in their efforts to defy the odds and beat the Lakers on the road in game 7 missing their starting center.
Here's to Rasheed stepping up to ensure that both teams will play hard. God bless and good night.
I can't wait!
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